FLOOD OR SUBMERGENCE
Villages devoured by rising waters
The extent of submergence of villages and farmland in the Narmada valley under the backwaters of Sardar Sarovar dam increases with successive monsoons. Himanshu Upadhyaya stresses the need for a more realistic and effective look at solutions to the woes of the region.
Displacement | Narmada campaign
August 2013
NO TO PRIVATISATION
MP town seeks to reclaim its right to water
An independent committee appointed by the state validates and upholds most of the objections raised by civil society against attempted privatisation of water supply in Khandwa.
Madhya Pradesh
August 2013
CORRUPTION
'Maha' problems over minor irrigation
A tragic accident brings into focus long-simmering questions over the quality of minor irrigation works, and the nexus between engineers and contractors. Parineeta Dandekar reports.
Public funds | Maharashtra
August 2013
WATER WOES
In support of a paradigm shift in water
A recent report by the UNICEF highlights the most critical issues, urging the establishment to break new ground in resource management and utilization.
March 2013 MH POLITICS
White Paper, or whitewash?
The dubious record of MH's irrigation department provides fodder for a proxy NCP-Congress war. The issues, however, demand real attention, writes Shripad Dharmadhikary.
Maharashtra
December 2012
WHOSE WATER?
One state, many demands
Integrated river management is a serious business, and without proper attention can lead to politically difficult situations even
within a single state, as seen in Maharashtra this year.
Maharashtra
December 2012
FRACKING
Shallow understanding of deep risks
Shale gas and oil reserves are being eyed hungrily by an industry that is looking at the sunset of conventional
reserves. But fracking is full of risks.
Energy
September 2012
WATER POLICY
Better, but needs more work
The latest draft of the Water Policy is a clear improvement over the previous one, and appears to have taken on board many of the
objections to earlier provisions.
July 2012
RESERVOIR MANAGEMENT
Going awry with the flow
For the third time in less than a decade, the dams that irrigate much of north-west India have been depleted to critical levels, as
their management stumbles without clear policy directions.
July 2012
WATER POLICY
Pushing to privatise
A noteworthy shift in the new Draft Water Policy is the clear preference of the Government to privatise the water sector.
This goes against all the evidence so far.
February 2012
TRADING WATER
Back-pedaling the market mantra
The Chawla Committee backs away from recent efforts to create a market for water rights. Still, it doesn't go far enough in recognising
the importance of citizens' involvement.
Public finances
July 2011
WATER RIGHTS
Lessons from Chile's Water Code
The government's agenda for water privatisation has relied heavily on the supposed success of the chosen model in Chile. A new book
reveals we may be learning the wrong lessons.
June 2011
THE GANGES
Grand plans for the Ganga
The World Bank and the Government have developed an extensive program of redevelopment for the Ganga basin, but thus far the scheme
remains devoid of people's participation.
February 2011
BUREAU OF WATER EFFICIENCY
Warding off the water woes
The new Bureau of Water Efficiency should push for Central laws that can be adopted without dilution by the states, and work with
specific industry segments to address their water deficits.
January 2011
DISTRICTS AND TALUKS
Greening the smaller towns
What should a town-planning engineer in a district or taluk headquarters know of the Energy Conservation Building Code
to get it successfully implemented, without complicating things?
Energy
|
Cities
December 2010
OPINION
The Protocol of vested interests
The hydropower industry's Protocol is an inside job - developed by the industry, to be administered by its consultants, who will work
closely with project promoters.
Human rights
November 2010
RIGHTS
Recognising the human right to water
For millions of people, the law does not explicitly direct that they are entitled to safe water.
A United Nations resolution passed in July this year is about to change that.
Human rights
October 2010
AUTONOMOUS UTILITIES
Grid-free, on the horizon
During the last 100 years, the production and consumption of power happened at two different places, miles away from each other.
This will change in the future.
Water
August 2010
GREEN HOMES
The bills we pay, and the ones we don't
Our personal choices directly impact the pressure on managing infrastructure support that we all need
for energy, water, and waste management.
Energy
July 2010
RELIABLE RAINDROPS
How an ex-lecturer turned around the land
With two decades of continuous research and wise management, this ex-lecturer in
Karnataka's Udupi district has made a barren hillock into a model of rain harvesting.
Agriculture
|
Karnataka
July 2010
DROUGHT IN VIDARBHA
The colour of water
Two years of drought has started to take its toll on the people of Vidarbha, with a failed crop leaving them with no income to tide over the crisis.
P Sainath
May 2010
WATER HARVESTING
How they pulled their farm back from the brink
"Trying to measure the success of water harvesting only with increased water level is not fair. The vegetation improves, so does the soil moisture.?
Karnataka
January 2010
WATER HARVESTING
First in RWH, but not self-reliant yet
Ankola railway station along the rainy Konkan coast is in a heavy rainfall area yet is suffering from water shortages, as
water harvesting efforts are half-hearted.
Karnataka
January 2010
BOOK REVIEW
Meandering an important course
Water and the Laws in India is not always consistent or complete, but this does not detract from its usefulness and importance in examining
important issues.
Laws
|
Book Reviews
January 2010
RAINWATER HARVESTING
Where Suvarna Jala fails, schools succeed
The classic headline: "Government-funded rainwater harvesting for public schools goes wrong,
money wasted". However in one Karnataka district, it's an altogether different tale.
Karnataka
November 2009
WATER HARVESTING
'Rain pond' to the rescue
This dairy in Palakkad spent over Rs.2 lakhs buying water from outside in 2008. This year they will
spend nearly eight-nine times less, thanks to a rain pond.
Kerala
November 2009
RIVER PROJECTS & PEOPLE
The wrecking sand dunes of upper Assam
Farmers in Assam have had to move out of agriculture during the past two years because of sand dunes created over their fertile lands.
Energy
|
Assam
August 2009
OVERVIEW
Environment Report, 2009
The MoEF's assessment of the environment, which should be the foundation for strategic planning in the ministry, is highly inadequate, and is a poor
second to similar efforts by environmentalists.
Reviews
August 2009
ENTITLEMENTS
The right to water: long road ahead
Judging by the 16 years it took for the right to education to be legislated, the right to water and sanitation is a long way off. But there is
much to be learned from the efforts of NGOs, meanwhile.
Sanitation
August 2009
RENUKA DAM
Drowning Himachalis, pampering Delhi
Its demand for water is ever-growing, and its usage wasteful.
Using its political and economic power, however, Delhi is quenching its
thirst for water by extracting it from places near and far.
Himachal Pradesh
July 2009
GODAVARI WATERS
The empire flows again
With the second coming of the Congress government in Andhra Pradesh,
Sir Arthur Cotton's legacy on Godavari waters is likely to continue without critical examination.
Andhra Pradesh
June 2009
WATER POLICIES
Stagnant waters: Party manifestos offer little
Water is a big local concern, but at the national level, it does not seem to figure very high up in the considerations of major parties, at least
as seen in their pre-election promises.
Elections
April 2009
DEBATING WATER
World Water Forums: Time to end them
Activists and governments alike demand that future deliberations on water issues be brought within the legitimate fold of the UN, and not hosted by
private and corporate interests.
March 2009
HERITAGE WATER SUPPLY
The unique water tunnel of Sheni
This 250 metre-long suranga, situated by the side
of a school in Kasargod, Kerala, resembles the famed Iranian water system - the qanat
- more than its counterparts.
Kerala
January 2009
